Twelve Student-Athletes Honored for Excellence in Competition
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference announced its April athletes of the month today, highlighting excellence among student-athletes during the month. The athletes of the month are nominated by each member institution and selected by the conference office.
BASEBALL
PLAYER
Victor Roache, Georgia Southern, So., OF
Roache hit 15 home runs in 17 games during the month of April to vault himself into the national lead in that category. The sophomore slugger homered in 11 different games, including a three-homer effort against The Citadel on April 2 and a pair of two-home run games. He drove in 32 runs while scoring 23 and batting .368 for the Eagles. Roache slugged at a 1.074 clip in April and did not record an error while making 43 putouts in the outfield.
Other Nominees: Jack Myers (Appalachian State), Daniel Aldrich (College of Charleston), Nick Orvin (The Citadel), Drew Gadaire (Davidson), Sebastian Gomez (Elon), Trevor Edwards (UNCG), Ross Heffley (Western Carolina) and Mac Doyle (Wofford).
PITCHER
Ryan Arrowood, Appalachian State Jr., RHP
Arrowood was nearly flawless in six appearances, allowing just three runs over 32.1 innings (0.84 ERA). He went 3-0 over five starts, with his only no-decisions coming after Furman's ninth-inning rally against ASU's bullpen ruined his 6.2-inning, five-hit, no-run, nine-strikeout start and when he was forced to leave a 3-1 win over Davidson in the third inning due to an injury. The Rutherfordton, N.C., native was twice named the SoCon Pitcher of the Week in April, and tossed ASU's first complete-game shutout since 2008. Arrowood compiled a 22.1-inning scoreless streak that spanned two complete starts and parts of two others from April 1-21.
Other Nominees: Christian Powell (College of Charleston), Jeremy Long (The Citadel), Chris Lamb (Davidson), John Brebbia (Elon), Matt Murray (Georgia Southern), Jarrett Miller (UNCG), Charles Basford (Samford) and John Cornely (Wofford).
SOFTBALL
PLAYER
Tiffany Baker, Chattanooga, Sr., 3B
Baker, an East Ridge, Tenn., native, compiled a .386 batting average and slugged .818 while accumulating a .491 on-base percentage for the month of April. The Chattanooga third baseman hit five home runs and four doubles while knocking in 23 RBIs and scoring nine runs. Baker broke the SoCon career home run record in April and is currently sitting at 47 career homers. The senior also tied the school single-season home run record on April 30 with her 14th of the year.
Other Nominees: Katie Boyd (Appalachian State), Kelsey Hodgson (College of Charleston), Tomeka Watson (Elon), Morgan Hughey (Furman) and Kaitlin Merkt (UNCG)
PITCHER
Allie Miles, Georgia Southern, Fr., P
Miles, a freshman from Dacula, Ga., compiled a 6-1 record in April with an impressive 1.25 ERA in 44.2 innings while striking out 58 batters. The freshman had a stretch of 26.0 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run. In a six-inning game against UNCG, Miles struck out a career-best 15 hitters, which was the third-highest total in Georgia Southern history and just two shy of tying the record. Opponents only hit .190 against Miles as she earned the SoCon Pitcher of the Week honors three times in the month of April.
Other Nominees: Hannah Dow (Appalachian State), Stephanie Saylors (College of Charleston), Erin O'Shea (Elon), Raeanne Hanks (UNCG) and Michelle Fuzzard (Chattanooga).
MEN'S TENNIS
Mickael Trintignac, College of Charleston, Jr.
Trintignac was undefeated in singles play during the month of April, closing the regular season with six straight wins in league play before winning his SoCon Tournament opener. The native of Le Cannet, France, did not drop a set in a five-match stretch from April 6-21 and concluded the season with an 18-3 overall record in singles, playing at the No. 2 spot. Teaming with Billy Kenny at No. 2 doubles, Trintignac was 7-2 in April, including wins in the semifinal and championship rounds of the SoCon Tournament.
Other Nominees: Chris Mark (Davidson), Cameron Silverman (Elon), Juan Melian Puigventos (Georgia Southern) and Carson Kadi (Samford).
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Monica Arguello, Furman, Sr.
Arguello, the 2011 Southern Conference Player of the Year, fashioned a perfect 6-0 mark at No. 1 singles in April to go along with a 6-1 doubles record. The senior from Lakeland, Fla., dropped only one set in that span, running her SoCon mark to an unbeaten 10-0 this season and 39-1 for her four-year career. Ranked 67th nationally heading into the NCAA Tournament, Arguello was named to the first team all-conference team for the fourth consecutive season in 2011.
Other Nominees: Kinsey Casey (College of Charleston) and Taylor Morgan (Samford).
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK
Cordell Livingston, Western Carolina, So.
Livingston, a sprinter from High Point, N.C., was named the Most Outstanding Athlete at the Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship for scoring the most points by an individual at the championship. At the championship, Livingston won both the 110m and 400m hurdles with times of 14.46 and 52.62, respectively. Livingston also took top honors in the triple jump with a mark of 49'00.25".
FIELD
Brandon Bassett, Samford, So., Field
Bassett, a Tallahassee, Fla., native, broke the Southern Conference record in the decathlon at the SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championship with 7,040 points. In the decathlon events, Bassett won pole vault (14'01.25"), long jump (22'09"), discus (124'11") and the javelin (189'06") while finishing second in the shot put (40'02.75") and high jump (6'03.25"). The Bulldog sophomore also took second place in the javelin with a mark of 197'08" at the championship.
WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK
Felisha Garren, Western Carolina, Jr.
Garren, a junior from Hendersonville, N.C., won the 400m dash at the SoCon Championship in Birmingham, Ala., with a time of 53.99. It was the fastest time recorded in the conference this season and ranks fifth in the Southeast Region. Garren also finished second in the 200m dash with a time of 24.23 and ran anchor in the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays. Western Carolina finished first in the 4 x 100m and second in the 4 x 400m. She was named Most Outstanding Track Performer at the event.
FIELD
Rebecca Hazeltine, Appalachian State, Sr.
Hazeltine was the high jump champion at both the High Point VertKlasse Meet and at the Southern Conference Outdoor Championship. At High Point, the senior from Weddington, N.C., jumped 5'10" to set a new facility record as well as an ASU all-time best. She followed that with a jump of 5'08.75" to claim the SoCon title in Birmingham and helping the Mountaineers to claim the conference team championship.
MEN'S GOLF
Richard Fountain, Fr., Davidson
Fountain became the Wildcats' first SoCon Tournament individual medalist since 1973 as he fired a final round, five-under par 67 to win the event by one stroke at nine-under par. The freshman from Raleigh, N.C., who claimed his second tournament title of the season, birdied his final hole of the event, the 435-yard par four ninth. With his victory, Fountain earned an automatic qualification to the NCAA Men's Golf Championship.
Other Nominees: Josh Nichols (Appalachian State), Logan Blondell (Georgia Southern), Bill Nabors (Samford), Stephan Jaeger (Chattanooga) and Trey White (Western Carolina).
WOMEN'S GOLF
Emma de Groot, Sr., Chattanooga
de Groot won the first Southern Conference medalist honor in school history by three shots over teammate Jordan Britt by shooting three over par at Moss Creek Golf Club's North Course. The win was the Coffs Harbour, Australia, native's sixth of her career. Her 11 birdies for the event tied Britt for tourney high. Prior to the SoCon Tournament, de Groot placed 47th at the Liz Murphey Intercollegiate, where she topped eight top 100 golfers, including the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players in the nation.
Other Nominees: Rumbidzai Masamvu (Appalachian State), Leigh Whittaker (College of Charleston) and Sarah Butts (Samford).
Southern Conference April Athletes of the Month
Baseball Player Victor Roache, Georgia Southern
Baseball Pitcher Ryan Arrowood, Appalachian State
Softball Player Tiffany Baker, Chattanooga
Softball Pitcher Allie Miles, Georgia Southern
Men's Tennis Mickael Trintignac, College of Charleston
Women's Tennis Monica Arguello, Furman
Men's Outdoor Track Cordell Livingston, Western Carolina
Men's Outdoor Field Brandon Bassett, Samford
Women's Outdoor Track Felisha Garren, Western Carolina
Women's Outdoor Field Rebecca Hazeltine, Appalachian State
Men's Golf Richard Fountain, Davidson
Women's Golf Emma de Groot, Chattanooga